Just look into the light: not quite, but researchers at the
UC Davis Center for Neuroscience and Department of Psychology have used light
to erase specific memories in mice, and proved a basic theory of how different
parts of the brain work together to retrieve episodic memories.
Optogenetics, pioneered by Karl Diesseroth at Stanford
University, is a new technique for manipulating and studying nerve cells using
light. The techniques of optogenetics are rapidly becoming the standard method
for investigating brain function.